Ms Cole told Stuff.co.nz that she was disappointed to still be paying full rent. 'We did think at the time the driveway was pretty steep,' Ms Cole said. 'We were told a few weeks later that it would no longer be able to be used as a garage. Then he (the landlord) decided to put the fence up which was a bit bizarre. 'He said he was going to put it up as a bit of privacy but the fence is serving absolutely no purpose.'

The couple also have four older children, three of whom had hoped to use the garage to store their motorbikes away from rain.

Queenstown Lakes District Council spokesman Jimmy Sygrove told Stuff.co.nz that he was in contact with the property owner about consenting issues, but would not add any further information.